Lady 59ers win three games at Twin Lakes Invitational before dropping semifinal to Eastern, 2-0

A USA-365 special report by Mark Smith

5-10-2004

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
No. 1 (2A) Eastern (20-1)	2	0	0	0	0	0	-	2	7	1
No. 2 (3A) ANDREAN (22-3)	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	0	6	2

May 8, 2004, 78 degrees, sunny - Twin Lake Invitational semifinal in Monticello, IN

WP - Breanna Howell (17-1) CG, 6K, 0 walks
LP - Katie Ivancich (10-1) CG 11, 12K, 0 walks

Jenny Johnson (E) 2 bunt singles, run scored
Breanna Howell (E) Single, RBI
Cassie Kemp (E) Double, RBI
Beth Wirtz (A) 2 singles
Samantha Markowski (A) 2 singles

Team (Record) / Inning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
ANDREAN (21-3)	6	0	1	0	0	5	-	12	9	1
Wheeler (12-10)	0	0	0	1	0	0	-	1	2	3

May 8, 2004, 78 degrees, sunny - Twin Lake Invitational semifinal in Monticello, IN

WP - Katie Ivancich (10-0) CG, 10K, 3 walks
LP - Jen Boardman (11-7) 1K, 0 walks (3 inn.)

Beth Hoots (W) Single, RBI
Kristen Ivancich (A) Triple, 3 RBIs
Stephanie Rister (A) Double, single, RBI
Chanel Brandt (A) Triple, single, 2 RBIs
Liz Rener (A) 2 singles, RBI
Beth Wirtz (A) 2 singles

MONTICELLO (5-8-2004) - There are no upset winners in the prestigious Twin Lakes Softball Invitational. You can pull an upset, get some breaks and win some games but you don't win five times in 24 hours by accident. You can play badly and lose and you can play well and still lose.

Andrean, Merrillville and Hanover Central played well and lost.

Lowell, Boone Grove and Wheeler did not play well and lost.

Undefeated, top-ranked defending state champion Eastern played well and, in the end, they lost 3-0 to McCutcheon in the championship game.

But if you played more than the three games you were promised, you were also a winner. That means that neighbors Andrean and Merrillville both went home pleased if not happy.

"We got to play four games against good competition," said Andrean coach Frank Podkul, whose team lost 2-0 to Class 2A No. 1 Eastern (20-2) in the semifinals. "It's a shame we let the game against Eastern get away in the first inning. This was a good laboratory for us. We knew we weren't perfect. Now we know that. Under these conditions, here's what we have to do to win. That's what we'll work on and we'll start Monday."

Merrillville (12-11) became the first Lake County team other than Andrean to win a preliminary pool in this 12-year-old, 16-team state class competition. The Pirates, who lost 4-0 in the semifinals to eventual champion McCutcheon (22-5), were overjoyed with a trio of wins 2-1 over Lowell, 3-1 over host Twin Lakes and 11-1 Frontier.

"We're starting to learn how to play the game," said Amy Govert, who replaced the Pirates' long time head coach Bob Berguson this year. "They're starting to understand that when you put pressure on the defense, something happens. We've been playing fairly well. Even against Lake Central (a 13-2 loss last week) the score doesn't show it, but we hit the ball hard. This week, we're coming along, slowly but surely."

Andrean (22-3) could not break through against Eastern junior right-hander Breanna Howell, who also shut out Benton Central 1-0. The 59ers, who rolled over Jefferson 6-0, Wheeler 12-2 and edged tough West Lafayette 4-2, got two runners on base in the sixth inning. But the middle of their order could not drive in the runs.

Two first inning runs, aided by a 59er error and a leadoff bunt single by Eastern senior Jenny Johnson, put the 59ers in a hole and no one scored again.

"That bunt," said Podkul, "we've got to know that's coming. Then, a girl stops at third. We've got to get her out. But we start throwing the ball around."

Howell, pitching into a 15-20 mile and hour wind, was able to neutralize the 59ers' attack by pitching 'up' in the strike zone. Pitching into the wind, a rising fastball or 'rise' ball tends to slow up late like a change up. Left-handed hitters hit low pitches better than high ones. Andrean, which has four left-handed hitters, could not make solid contact when they needed to against Howell's well-placed pitches.

"She has a little bit of a rise and the wind moves it that much more," said Podkul. "She knew what she was doing. She was throwing dead into the wind. She took advantage of that. She had the pitch for these conditions. We needed to take those pitches, but it's tough. It looks real good when she lets go of it."

Sophomore Andrean right-hander Katie Ivancich (10-1) took her first loss for the year despite 12 strikeouts. Ivancich struck out the last five Eastern batters and was dominant at the end.

"She settled down," said Podkul. "We let the game get away in the first inning. We were dragging at the end. I thought we'd have the advantage because of the two good pitchers. Overall, we played good ball here and we saw good pitchers. I'd like to have a couple of more shots against them. Just us and them."

LADY CAT NOTES: McCutcheon's undefeated junior Marie Badylak (10-0) blanked Merrillville 4-0 and senior Amy Bowman (13-5) blanked Eastern 3-0 in the finals game.

Hanover's 4-0 shutout of Pioneer was the Lady Cats' 10th shutout of the season. Junior Amanda Wendlinger has eight and junior Kelly Lapota has the other two. Wendlinger (11-3) and Lapota (5-3), who allowed just four hits and walk against Griffith, are as good a duo as there is returning next season in northwest Indiana.

Sophomore Heather Rebeneck has come off the bench to spark HC in selected hitting roles as she did in 2003. Rebeneck, a 5-9 back-up catcher with a big swing, not only put HC on the doorstep of victory with the two-run triple against McCutcheon, she had a double, triple and four RBIs against Griffith in the 10-0 win on May 4.

Lake and Porter County teams, after playing in 40 and 50-degree weather all season, were welcomed by 75-80-degree temperatures Saturday in Monticello. Many will tell you about how many games softball girls can play in one day but three games in summer weather wears most of them down.

"We did run out of gas a little," said Andrean's Frank Podkul, after his team's fourth game loss to Eastern. "I was trying to tell the girls, 'Throw a little water on your face. Lift yourself up.' But they were pretty worn out."

Boone Grove went 0-for-3 in Monticello for the second consecutive season but the Wolves (16-6) are playing a little better than in 2003. The Wolves are not up to the level of competition but the girls still seemed to enjoy the trip, if not the games.

"We just do not play the way we can," said Boone junior pitcher Becky Keller. "We have the ability to stay with some of these teams; we just don't." It didn't help that Boone got lined up with big winners Culver Academy (12-4), Benton Central (9-6) and Eastern (20-2).

Coach Glenn Eisfelder said, " You want to play good teams. That's why you're here."

Podkul agreed. "We want to play these teams. We want to play Jefferson and Eastern and West Lafayette. Honestly, we don't really want to come here and play Wheeler. We can play Wheeler back home."

After playing four times at Twin Lakes last weekend, the 59ers, barring rainouts, will end up with 30 games.

"You can play 26 and one tournament," said Podkul. "We don't count Dowagiac as a tournament. We count that as three games. We don't count Valparaiso as a tournament. That counts as two games. This (Monticello) is our tournament and we just hope we win our pool and get to play four or five times."

Hanover Central is on line to play 28 games. HC also counts the Twin Lakes Invitational as their tournament, assuming they will play three games in the single-elimination Porter County Conference (PCC) tournament.

2004 Andrean (22-3, 10-2)
Coach Frank Podkul (11th year at Andrean) 203-56
(18th year overall) 339-91
Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) games in CAPS

April 3 (W) 12-1 at St. Joseph's (6-12)
April 3 (W) 3-0 at St. Joseph's (6-12)
April 5 (W) 4-0 at Wheeler (12-10)
April 8 (W) 20-1 Bishop Noll (12-11)
April 10 (W) 11-0 (5) Culver Academy (13-4)
April 10 (W) 6-1 Culver Academy (13-4)

April 12 (L) 0-1 (9) Whiting (15-3)
April 14 (W) 1-0 Kankakee Valley (5-11)

Chieftain Invitational, Dowagiac, Michigan
April 17 (W) 5-3 Kalamazoo Christian (16-6)
April 17 (W) 3-2 Portage Northern
April 17 (W) 3-1 at Dowagiac (20-3) title

April 20 (L) 2-3 Munster (15-2)
April 21 (W) 5-0 Hammond (7-12)
April 29 (W) 7-6 at Lowell (11-6)
April 30 (W) 10-0 Crown Point (6-16)

Valparaiso Invitational
May 1 (W) 3-0 Elkhart Memorial (15-4)
May 1 (W) 3-0 at Valparaiso (10-12) title

May 3 (W) TF South
May 4 (W) 7-0 Gavit (2-12)
May 6 (W) 1-0 at Highland (15-5-1)

Twin Lakes Invitational, Monticello, Ind.
May 7 (W) 6-0 (Lafayette) Jefferson (10-12)
May 8 (W) 13-2 Wheeler (12-10)
May 8 (W) 4-2 West Lafayette (15-5)
May 8 (L) 0-2 (Howard Co.) Eastern (20-2) semifinals

May 11 (Tu) Griffith (12-11) 4:30 p.m.
May 13 (Th) Hobart (13-7) 4:30 p.m.
May 19 (W) at Benton Central (14-3) 5:30 p.m.

Castle Invitational, Newburgh, Ind.
May 22 (S) semifinals - 12 noon
May 22 (S) finals - 3 p.m.

ANDREAN (3A) Sectional
5-24-4 (Tu) Quarterfinals
5-28-4 (F) Semifinals
5-29-4 (S) Championship

Twin Lakes (3A) Sectional
6-5-4 (S) Semifinals
6-5-4 (S) Championship

State 3A Finals
6-11-4 (F) semifinals at Hamilton Southeastern - 6:30 p.m.
6-12-4 (S) 2A State championship at Carmel - 4 p.m.

2004 HANOVER CENTRAL (16-6, 6-0 PCC)
Larry McMillen 25-8 in 2003, 24-5 in 2002, 116-27-1 (last 5 years)

4-1-4 (W) 13-3 (5 innings) River Forest (8-9)
4-2-4 (L) 5-6 at Chesterton (18-4)
4-3-4 (L) 0-5 Munster (16-2)
4-10 (L) 1-3 at Bishop Noll (12-11)
4-14 (W) 10-0 at MORGAN TOWNSHIP (8-10)
4-13 (W) 13-0 (5) North Newton (2-12)
4-17 (W) 9-0 HEBRON (14-4)
4-19 (W) 2-1 (8 inn.) Wheeler (12-10)
4-21 (L) 1-4 Lowell (10-6)
4-22 (L) 1-5 at (Ill.) Beecher, Ill. (23-2)
4-24 (W) 11-0 (5)at LaCROSSE (4-10)
4-26 (W) 7-4 at Clark (2-10-2)
4-28 (W) 6-0 at Morton (13-9)
4-29 (W) 4-0 South Newton (6-9)
4-30 (W) 3-0 KOUTS (4-10)
5-3 (W) 15-3 (5) Rensselaer (4-12)
5-4 (W) 1-0 SOUTH CENTRAL (15-3)

5-5 (W) 10-0 Griffith (12-11)
5-6 (W) 8-0 BOONE GROVE (6-16)

Twin Lakes Invitational (in Monticello)
5-7-4 (W) 4-0 Pioneer (8-8)
5-8-4 (W) 4-1 Lewis Cass (12-3)
5-8-4 (L) 3-4 McCutcheon (22-5)

5-11-4 (Tu) WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (5-10)

Porter County Conference (PCC) Tournament
Saturday games at LaCrosse
5-14-4 (F) at Boone Grove (6-16) 4:30 p.m.
5-15-4 (S) vs. WT (5-10) or LaCrosse (3-12) - 11 a.m.
5-15-4 (S) Championship (3 p.m.)

5-19-4 (W) at Gavit (5-15) 4:30 p.m.
5-21-4 (F) at Whiting (15-3) 5 p.m.

Wheeler (2A) Sectional
5-24-4 (Tu) Quarterfinals
5-28-4 (F) Semifinals
5-29-4 (S) Championship

LaVille (2A) Sectional
6-5-4 (S) Semifinals
6-5-4 (S) Championship

State 2A Finals
6-11-4 (F) Semifinals at North Central - 6:30 p.m.
6-12-4 (S) 2A State championship at Carmel - 1 p.m.